Mahir Emrelin, the striker of the Azerbaijani national team and Kaiserslautern, who plays in the German II Bundesliga, gave an interview to Offsideplus.az.

Here is the interview:

- So, you scored your first goal in the German Cup match against RSV Eintracht for Kaiserslautern. What are your impressions?

- My impressions are good. Even if the opponent is not that strong, it is always nice to score the first official goal and increase my goal statistics in my career. I hope that it will be continuous in the league. I really want to score many goals, and most importantly, show good performance and be useful to my team. I hope that we will improve our game as a team and perform better in future games. Even if the opponent is not strong in this game, such matches are important for the players for self-confidence.

- How are the training sessions going? How do you feel physically and mentally?

- I'm slowly trying to get used to the team, the environment, the city. I'm still in the adaptation process. We've only played 3 games of the season. I hope this adaptation process will pass quickly. The tactics, the coaching staff are a little different from Nuremberg. The main points have almost been finalized. The house and car needs have found their place. All that's left are the adaptation points on and off the field.

- How is your relationship with your teammates?

- My relationship with my teammates is good. There's a family atmosphere inside. The guys try to help each other. Of course, you're closer to some, and you keep your distance from others. Overall, there's a good atmosphere. We're a new team, we have new players, our coach is almost new. He's trying to get used to us, and we're trying to get used to him. I hope we won't have any problems with this issue during the season.

- You've called a stage in the cup, you've started the league with 1 win and 1 draw. What is the goal?

- Unfortunately, we lost in the first match. We could have drawn. I think a draw would be a fair result. Our goal is to fight for the top places. Kaiserslautern is a team that dominated Germany in the 90s and has a great history. The legend of the club, Fritz Walter, was an important person for this team and for German football. He played for the German national team after World War II and became the world champion under his captaincy. If I'm not mistaken, 6-7 Kaiserslautern players wore the jersey in that team, and F. Walter was the main owner of this. The stadium is also named after him, and there is no need to talk about the beauty and atmosphere there anymore. I hope that we will return this club to its rightful place this year and in the coming years. We have built our goal on this.

- How is your relationship with head coach Torsten Lieberknecht? What contributions have he made to you?

- Our head coach is a very good person. You see, he even gets disappointed when he doesn't play some players, I feel that. If he had his way, he would give all the players a chance. Unfortunately, such moments happen in football. We have a good relationship, and we are trying to get used to each other with him. Of course, he has different requirements as a coach. He is a coach who qualified for the Bundesliga with both Eintracht (Braunschweig) and Darmstadt. Those clubs also showed good play when he was his coach. He likes pragmatic football, he likes a risk-free game. However, he sees putting pressure on the opponent as one of the main points of the game. He is a coach who likes to chase them away from the opponent's field, quickly get the ball and go on the attack, and he prefers long balls, which I am not used to. I am also trying to adapt to this. In recent games, I have been playing a little on the right wing, which I have not played for a long time. Although it is more comfortable for me to play as a striker, I do not express my opinion on this. Of course, as a coach, he sees and understands better. In general, we have a good relationship both on and off the field. In private, he is a very positive, friendly person, loves to joke. In games, he is very serious and a good motivator.

- It would be interesting to know your thoughts on your former team "Qarabag". What are the chances of "Qarabag" in the games against "Ferencvaros"? Will they be able to get into the league stage?

- "Qarabag" is a club that I support no matter where I am. It is my home. I have always said this, even though I started my childhood football at the "Baku" football club, "Qarabag"'s share in my coming to big football, here, is undeniable. I would like to thank the entire "Qarabag" community - the head coaching staff, management, fans and footballers - while I have the opportunity. It has been a long time, and maybe the opportunity has not arisen, or maybe we have forgotten about it. I want to thank them again. Their success is the success of our entire country. I really want them to do it for the second time and get to the league stage of the Champions League. After the regulations have changed, they can face more clubs this time. Of course, this is football and the opponent they face is very strong. The Hungarian championship is a league superior to our championship. There is a team that has been able to dominate there for years. A difficult game with "Ferencvaros" awaits. But it is not impossible. The opponent also has losses, as far as I can see. If the new players of "Qarabag" adapt and are ready before the game, I think "Qarabag" can achieve good results in these games. We will support "Qarabag", and I am looking forward to tomorrow's game. Every Azerbaijani in Azerbaijan and abroad will celebrate their victory together. Whether "Qarabag" wins or not, they are the best in our country. I hope that whatever is good for them will happen. Our desire is the Champions League.